Quality degradation in glass recycling: substitutability model proposal

• The sustainability assessment of waste management systems requires tools capable of evaluating material quality degradation during recycling. Existing research has predominantly focused on the development of substitutability models for plastics, leaving a gap in addressing other materials like glass. Glass is commonly regarded as endlessly recyclable, even though its actual recyclability depends on several crucial factors, such as colour and pollutant contamination. Many Life Cycle Assessment (LCA) studies in this field assume a one-to-one substitution coefficient, neglecting material deterioration and inaccurately representing real-world scenarios. This study proposes and assesses a substitutability model for glass, aiming to measure the replacement extent between virgin materials and recycled crushed glass (cullet). The methodology is based on two key factors: technical quality substitutability, considering impurities and colour contaminations in cullet, and market applicability, accounting for market demand. Once formulated, the model was applied to a European case study on glass waste treatment. Two scenarios were considered: one assuming complete substitution between cullet and raw materials, the other incorporating quality degradation. Findings indicate that, accounting for quality degradation, only 83% of cullet effectively replaces raw materials, resulting in a decrease of the benefit associated with recycling of 13–23% for the different examined impact categories, compared to complete replacement assumption. This underscores the importance of considering quality deterioration in glass recycling impact assessments.

Ämnesord

TEKNIK OCH TEKNOLOGIER  -- Samhällsbyggnadsteknik -- Byggproduktion (hsv//swe)

ENGINEERING AND TECHNOLOGY  -- Civil Engineering -- Construction Management (hsv//eng)

TEKNIK OCH TEKNOLOGIER  -- Samhällsbyggnadsteknik -- Annan samhällsbyggnadsteknik (hsv//swe)

ENGINEERING AND TECHNOLOGY  -- Civil Engineering -- Other Civil Engineering (hsv//eng)

NATURVETENSKAP  -- Geovetenskap och miljövetenskap -- Miljövetenskap (hsv//swe)

NATURAL SCIENCES  -- Earth and Related Environmental Sciences -- Environmental Sciences (hsv//eng)

Nyckelord

Life Cycle Assessment

Recycling

Quality degradation

Glass

Substitution model

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